A defensive end who figures to make things miserable for college quarterbacks, and a quarterback who could do the same thing to college defenses, are the headliners on the 31st edition of the Press-Telegram s Best in the West football team.

Everson Griffen, that dominating defender from the Phoenix suburb of Avondale, came very close to getting a perfect point total finishing with 207 out of a possible 210 and was designated the top college prospect in the Western class of high school seniors.

Griffen, in a poll of seven high school recruiting analysts, heads a 20-player BIW first team that includes as many as 11 others who could sign national letters of intent with the Trojans on Feb. 7, the first day of the NCAA s football signing period.

Finishing directly behind Griffen was that quarterback, Jimmy Clausen, who led Westlake Village Oaks Christian High to four consecutive CIF Southern Section titles.

Clausen, who collected 201 points and received two of the three top spots on the ballots that weren t given to Griffen, graduated from Oaks Christian in December and is already enrolled at Notre Dame.

Getting the third No. 1 vote and finishing third in the balloting, with 197 points, was Anaheim Servite linebacker-deluxe Chris Galippo.

Galippo didn t waste any time deciding that he, like Griffen and, apparently, so many other BIW members, wanted to be a Trojan: He committed to USC coach Pete Carroll on the first day 2006 seniors could sign letters of intent, although he couldn t sign until a year later.

Rounding out the top five finishers were the best running back in the West and maybe the nation, as well in Marc Tyler, one of three Oaks Christian players (along with Clausen and defensive back Marshall Jones, No. 10 in the balloting) selected to the first team, along with one of the country s best cornerback prospects, Donovan Warren of Long Beach Poly.

As is the idea, the seven members of the BIW selection panel sprinkled their ballots with the very best prospects in the West most of which are also highly regarded nationally.

Each member voted for 30 players, 1 through 30, with 30 points awarded for a No. 1 spot with values decreasing to a single point for the 30th spot on a ballot.

Joining the aforementioned top five finishers, and Jones, were:

Two of the top 10 offensive line prospects in the national class of 2007, Kris O Dowd (Tucson Salpointe Catholic) and Ryan Miller (Littleton, Colo., Columbine).

O Dowd plans to play center for USC while Miller, a tackle, is expected to sign with the University of Colorado.

Price (Los Angeles Crenshaw) looks to be UCLA s top recruit on Feb. 7. Harris (Gardena Serra) is another future Trojan while Wade (Portland Central Catholic) committed to the University of Oregon last spring.

Two players who trail only Griffen in their ability to rush passers, Kenny Rowe and Akeem Ayers.

Rowe, a teammate of Warren s at Long Beach Poly, had 31 sacks in three seasons with the Jackrabbits. He committed to Oregon last weekend.

Ayers, who is from L.A. Verbum Dei and led his team to a CIF Southern Section title in December, plans to sign with UCLA.

Two players from the Orange Lutheran team that won the strongest of the CIF Southern Section divisions (Pac-5), Aaron Corp and Michael Reardon.

Corp, a USC-bound quarterback, was ninth in the balloting and was also the Pac-5 Offensive Player of the Year.

Reardon (11th in the voting) is a two-way lineman who is expected to get his first shot at USC on offense.

The best prospect in Northern California, Richmond Salesian running back Jahvid Best, is expected to sign with Cal, where he could play a lot next season with the departure to the NFL of Marshawn Lynch.

The brother of a former BIW selection, Steve Smith of USC, Malcolm Smith, a star linebacker and running back at Woodland Hills Taft.

He committed to USC Friday.

Two other future USC players are Huntington Beach Edison offensive lineman Martin Coleman and Milpitas quarterback Brandon Carswell, who is expected to play wide receiver for USC.

Grabbing the 20th and final spot on the first team was the West s best tight end prospect and the No. 1 player in Washington, Chris Izbicki of Kirkland Lake Washington.